The Florida Tech Flight Team is counting down to nationals after a strong showing in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) SAFECON regionals in La Grange, Georgia last week. The team finished third overall, earning a spot in May’s big competition after years of hard work and rebuilding.
Florida Tech competes in SAFECON’s ninth region, which includes Florida, Georgia and Alabama. The schools in this region include Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Jacksonville University, Auburn University, Polk State College and Guilford Technical Community College.
The team scored high in several categories, including a third-place finish in the ground events category – the written exam component – and the flight events category, which judges skills like landing, navigation and hitting ground targets while in flight. It also earned the competition safety award – a “huge point of pride” and a testament to Florida Tech’s dedication to safety, said Rian Mehta, associate dean of the College of Aeronautics and flight team advisor.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, interest slowed and the team felt the impact, Mehta said. Over the last four years, the team has focused on rebuilding by retaining students and practicing consistently. Last year, the team placed fifth overall in the regional competition. Though they were able to compete in nationals last year after two teams dropped out – typically only the top three scorers are eligible to compete – they were determined to keep improving.
This season, the team hit the books – and the runway – with fresh ferocity. With help from a part-time coach, they began practicing three days a week: One day focuses on ground practice, where they study exam content; another is dedicated to running drills on flight simulators; and the third is spent in actual airplanes, where they clean up their flight competition skills.
Mehta cites focus, dedication and consistency as the main drivers of the team’s success. With student turnover decreasing, the stability has translated to improving performances, which has garnered more excitement and interest.
“As they started performing better, the students were getting more motivated, but they weren’t winning. That lit the fire in them to really push themselves to do better this year,” Mehta said. “Every year our goal is to just get better than where we were last year and keep moving up to a point where we’re performing at a level that we are proud of.”
The Florida Tech Flight Team is open to all students, not just those studying aeronautics. Competition tryouts are held each fall and up to 16 members are chosen to compete in regionals. A successful season wraps up after nationals each May.
The team is fully funded by its members, who pay for every hour that they fly, from practice to competition, Mehta said. As they continue to improve, they hope to receive more support to afford more practice time.
“We’re just hoping to build on that momentum so they can get some additional resources to practice more and do better,” Mehta said.
Nationals will be held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Over the next eight weeks, Mehta urges his team to keep practicing and not get complacent. They’ll focus on fine-tuning their performance and reducing mistakes, highlighting what they did well while identifying areas to work on.
“I’m super proud of them. They’ve had some setbacks and heartache. The last few years, they tried hard but they weren’t able to show their potential,” Mehta said. “This year, they tried really hard and the results matched what they deserved.”
See the full list of regional placements:
Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation
Nathaniel Holland – 8th place
Preflight Inspection
Matthew Berris – 5th place
Ian Bowen – 3rd place
Aircraft Recognition
Brian Williams – 10th place
Computer Accuracy
Rohit Nair – 8th place
Unlimited Navigation
Riley Haley and Jameson Pike – 6th place
Brian Williams and Gillian Moisao – 5th place
Matthew Berris and Rebecca Berris – 2nd place
Message Drop
Rebecca Berris and Brian Williams – 6th place
Short Field Approach & Landing
Avery Karasinski – 10th place
Jameson Pike – 8th place
Matthew Berris – 6th place
Power Off Approach & Landing
Rebecca Berris – 9th place
Brian Williams – 7th place
Taylor Jackson – 4th place
Competition Safety Award
Florida Tech
The Judges Trophy
Florida Tech – 3rd place
Regional Top Pilots
Matthew Berris – 3rd place Ground Events Championship
Florida Tech – 3rd place
Flight Events Championship
Florida Tech – 3rd place
SAFECON Championship
Florida Tech – 3rd place
